A Shinobi's Resolve
by KingSnoopy101
Summary: A shinobi's resolve is all that seperates him from the barbaric nature of the savages of war. What will keep naruto from traveling the same road as those before him? Will he really be able to change the cycle? All to be answered in this thrilling story!
1. The calm before the storm

Author Note: Ok first let me say this; I am by no means experienced in writing these types of stories… Or any story for that matter since this is my very first one. Please feel free to read and review. Although if you have something hateful to say about my writing style without offering my any type of advice on how to get better… DIE painfully and slowly. Otherwise everything else is openly welcome. :) Also I want to run this as a one shot first and if people like it enough and it catches good enough reviews I'll go ahead and run with it as a story.

Many Thanks: KingSnoopy101

Disclaimer: .....i own only the plot. I'm not sure if i'm required yet so until then i'll just do as i've seen.

* * *

It was early in the morning as Naruto awoke from hi uncomfortable dream. It had been the same one for the last six nights in a row. The same people, the same scenery, even the same annoying fox was always there.

"Ah crap" grunted Naruto as he felt the stir of chakra in his belly

The fox had been rather pungent lately due to some abnormality with his immune system. Or at least that's what he thought the fox said on their last encounter. I didn't matter at this point all that mattered was the other annoying he was feeling; Hunger. His stomach gave out one more loud plead of acknowledgement before he rolled out of bed and progressed into the kitchen.

He reminisced on his favorite kunoichi as he began to fix himself a cup of instant ramen. He stared absently out the small window above his sink before he heard the rouse of movement that came from his couch. He jumped; just barely noticeable to the normal eye I mean hey he was a ninja after all. He quickly clasped the kunai the lay hidden jus under the cabinet above the counter. He etched slowly over to the couch with relative hesitation and caution as he was prepared for the worst.

He leapt over the couch only to be tossed and pinned to the door by more force than he anticipated. He smacked the wall with a loud thud and watched almost helplessly as a senbon escaped just beneath the sleeve of his captor.

"Hey cutie, don't you know it's not safe to sneak up on ninja when they're sleeping?" she said in a menacingly cunning and seductive tone.

"Hmm, well if I had known you would have been awake I might have just blown the whole couch up" he snorted with a small chuckle as she began to stand up.

"Anyway…" he trailed off "Why didn't you mention you were spending the night Anko? If I had known you could have slept in the spare room" now full focused on the steaming cup of ramen in his hands.

It was like this for the past couple of weeks. Anko would show up un-announced spend the night and crash his mornings like she lived there. In all honesty he really didn't mind the company; it was a nice change of events since he had been living in his small apartment by himself for so long.

She turned on the stove and began to heat up last night's leftovers as a morning snack.

"Well what fun would that be, hmm Naruto?" In a more seductive tone than the last, "Besides I enjoy breaking in, although with the relative ease it took I'm not sure if you'd really call it breaking and entering." Her voice flat lined at the second part.

Naruto simply looked at her with his usual foxy grin and finished off the last of his ramen before tossing the chopsticks at her with intense force. She merely waited until the chopsticks were mere seconds from her figure until she disappeared from sight, allowing the high speed sticks to puncture the wall in her place.

Naruto looked hesitantly about his small apartment before noticing the shift in the atmosphere behind him. He was just inches away from being skewered by the spoon she had picked up to cook with. He ducked under her horizontal slash and rose with foot hoping to send her flying through the door at her rear. She spun in the air using the wall as a platform and sprang forward diving over the Uzumaki child before land gracefully on the table in the center of the room.

A small smirk trailed her beautiful lips just before noticing several shuriken being launched her direction. If any enjoyment from what she thought was a victory moments ago left almost as quickly as it had come. Her eyes narrowed and she spun on her heel and leaned back. Her shoulder blades barely grazing the fined wood she was balancing on as the shuriken cut the small netting the cover her torso. The shuriken continued and head straight for the pan on the stove. She threw the spoon in one fell swoop and deflected a majority of the shuriken as they landed on the floor with a loud thump.

She finished the graceful movements and leapt to the ceiling planting her feet firmly yet gently to its smooth surface as her now snake like eyes scanned the room. Her hairs on her neck stood on end just moments before a grinning Naruto was kneeled behind her perfectly upside down and clasping her waist, a kunai firmly place close to her throat.

_Damn it! Beaten again by the smug over confident brat! _She thought annoyed with herself.

It had been this way for the last couple of weeks. Each morning if one was found at the others house a little light weight sparring match would be initiated to keep their ninja skills on point. However after the first match it seemed Naruto always got first move or finishing blow. It was beginning to annoy her. Not to mention the clever shot at her breakfast as a distraction was a nice touch.

"Heh heh I think I win again Anko-Chan" Naruto commented in a light as if whispering an important message.

"Not on your life brat!" She stammered as she melted and was replaced by a bunch of snakes.

Naruto quickly dropped to the floor and jumped against a wall. , placing his back firmly against the wall to minimize the risk of a surprise attack. This had suddenly got amusing for him since their usual spars ended shortly after they started. It was difficult to tell I that had been the intention or merely a coincidence. Either way Naruto couldn't bring himself to care or focus on anything outside of the situation at hand.

Anko seemed to push her arms and body effortlessly through the wall behind him as it rippled like that of a tranquil pond. Her arms wrapped around his neck as a kunai was held just above his chin. Then a second Anko dropped from the ceiling and leaned against his half naked body. She mocked his words from before. As he admitted defeat and dropped down on the couch lazily.

"So what do you think of my little performance Naruto-kun? Amazing don't you think? I've been waiting all week just to watch the look on your face as you tasted defeat." Her voice carried through the air swiftly before finding its way to Naruto's ears.

"Yeah, yeah I'm just tired from staying up so late last night! Given the proper rest and you wouldn't know how to handle me!" As Naruto turned over and stared at the ceiling above him, he thought about the moment all of this began.

------- THE WEEK BEFORE -------

"So you finally did it huh Gaki?" Jiraiya choked out as he sipped his sake and peered at the beautiful women dancing in the streets.

"Did what?" Naruto asked passively as he stared at the dazzling light show in the sky, amazed only by the giant fox representation as it burst in a flurry of ember and ash.

The sky lit up with beautiful hues of red, orange, pink, and even an emerald color as it collided with a loud bang.

"You know…" Jiraiya said in an exaggerated tone as he jabbed Naruto in his sides lightly. "Have you gotten the demented kunoichi with the snakes to agree to some…" he paused and developed a more perverted look on his face "Some 1on1 training yet?"

Naruto couldn't help but deadpan at the ridiculous question before shooting a quick comment back. "Like hell you perverted old man. Even if I did get assigned a female jonin to assist with my training, it is by no means a way to get a bunch of cheap pervert shots at her!!!!" He bellowed loudly.

"You know the Godaime is heading out of the village for a few years right?" His tone suddenly becoming much more serious than usual, Naruto noticed the tenor in his voice and straitened up immediately.

Jiraiya continued on "She's taking a few of the kunoichi for a series of special training for three years."

"Isn't that kind of absurd since she IS the active Hokage?" Naruto commented asking more to himself than anyone else.

Jiraiya simply looked over the crowd before continuing his dialogue. "Normally it would be but given that Konohagakure may be on the verge of war with Amegakure, we're going to need every ounce of talent and strength we can get."

With that he finished his cup and turned to leave, his happy persona once again returning in his face. "I'm off for a little research, don't wait up!" As he walked away he pointed towards the crowd and said "Hey Gaki there she is now, she even looks like she's having fun. What better way to convince her to train you than at a party?"

With that Jiraiya was off into the crowd of women debating which ones to use for 'research'.

_Well the perverts got one thing right if I don't approach her now I may never get a better opportunity. Damn it! I hate it when he's right about this stuff. I just hope she doesn't get the wrong idea._

"Hey"he called to the dancing sadist in female form.

"What do you want?" she called back impartial to the fact that he was standing right in front of her.

"So how's the party so far you enjoying yourself?"

She merely kept dancing for a minute or two before sliding next to him so fast he barely noticed her move.

"It's been great so far but I don't have a dance partner yet."

_This is perfect _He thought to himself excitedly

"How about I join you for the night?"

"You sure you can keep up? I love parties and dancing and don't need another low life trying to grope me down the entire night!" A small wave of killing intent flooded off her being for just a moment only to fade quicker than it came.

Naruto kept a mental note not to get to comfortable tonight or she just might kill him. He danced with her and brought up the topic he approached her for in the first place.

"Hey Anko-Chan, you think since I'm doing you this huge favor you could do me one?"

For an instant he felt the lust of a murder standing before him.

"It's nothing perverted I swear I just need help with something is all, and well… you seem like the best person to ask." He said quickly as he waved his hands in from of him to try and dismiss any thoughts of tearing him limb from limb.

"Well you see, I, uh…, um…"

"Well spit it out already would ya?"

"Well I need to get stronger so I need a jonin class ninja to train me. Seeing how you have high marks and as a ninja of his village I figured you wouldn't mind training me."

"Oh yeah? Exactly what makes you so sure I'd train you? For all I know you're a pathetic puss who can barely match over genin level. I have no interest in such a low class fighter. Besides I don't take on students. Not now, not ever."

"Is that how you see it? Ok how about a bet?"

At this her ears perked up and she narrowed her eyes as a small smile made its way showing perfectly white teeth that glistened in the moonlight.

"What did you have in mind brat?"

"A light spar, if I win, you take me on as a student."

She cut him off abruptly sounding displeased. "Yeah I figured that much, but what if I win then what?"

"Well… I don't know, whatever you want I guess."

Humph she retorted already fanaticizing of the amount of dango he would have to buy her all week. _The challenge looked easy enough with some pretty nice rewards. Hell I could beat him quickly and still enjoy the rest of my night._ She thought ominously.

"Well lady what do you say?" As he finished that last comment the words travelled through her like steel rods on paper. Not to mention it completely pissed her off. In one phrase he completely lost the nice sensible charm that got her to dance with him. Oh she was going to enjoy teaching the young ones a lesson in manners.

"Fine tomorrow night in the field just outside of the village's wall, we'll meet up at the gate entrance at 9pm don't be late or I'll hunt you down."

"Don't worry about that I'll be there. Just be prepared to lose!"

With that she was gone leaving a determined looking Naruto in her wake. Anko was ready for what was awaiting her the next night. As she leapt from rooftop to rooftop thinking of how ridiculous it was for a genin to challenge a jonin she couldn't help but feel excited for the battle to come.

ADMIN01/900999.01725/10572229.1


	2. Destruction On a Peaceful Horizon

Authors note: Ok I had a fair amount of people tell me they enjoyed the story and really wanted to hear more… more accurately it was two people, but hey I'll take what I can get. For now I'm feeling a little confused on the direction of mu story and was wondering if I could get a nice beta reader to help edit m story so that it shines like it's supposed to. Or hell I'll take anybody who will just read it in advance and check my grammar, spelling and the story to see if it's worth releasing to the public.

Many more thanks- KingSnoopy101

Recap (a small one at that)-

With that she was gone leaving a determined looking Naruto in her wake. Anko was ready for what was awaiting her the next night. As she leapt from rooftop to rooftop thinking of how ridiculous it was for a genin to challenge a jonin she couldn't help but feel excited for the battle to come.

* * *

Naruto trailed the kunoichi for a bit as she bound away in a huff of what seemed to be irritation and excitement. Either way he was glad to have secured some way to achieve his goal of getting stronger. Things had to be done and he still had promises to fulfill. As her tiny shadow quickly faded out of view he couldn't help but smile that fox like grin of his.

"You seem rather pleased tonight." Said a soft voice.

"How could I not be on such a beautiful night?" as he began to turn around he eyed the direction of the voice, recognizing it all too well. I mean she had been his first love after all and the two of them being on the same team only furthered the influence of the entire situation. Granted she never returned an ounce of the affection shown towards her, she did appreciate the gesture none the less.

Naruto looked into the sky as the as the shining white orb seemed to radiate brighter as she neared him, her florescent pink hair shown vibrantly against that of the moon. She had such finesse as she seemingly glided right next to the dazed child. He had to admit she truly was beautiful when she wanted to be. The dark purple colored flowers and vines weaved across the pale white kimono in an endless pattern. Contrasting greatly with her pink hair and somehow at the same time complementing it. A true vision of beauty only Sakura could emit. At this time it seemed a shame that he kept his feelings hidden from her. Yet no one could blame him seeing as she only had eyes for _him _and not a soul more.

"Why are you so quiet tonight?" She questioned in a light tone.

His thoughts had to be pushed aside she wasn't going to wait all night for his response.

"Hello? Naruto!"

"Ah! Sakura calm down, I can here you just fine without the yelling."

"Yeah well you sure don't act like it." She pouted before crossing her arms and whipping her head the opposite direction.

He chuckled a bit at the display before him and finally reached out and gave her a hug.

"You'll be ok. I'm sure of that, so where's Sasuke at? Weren't you two supposed to be spending the entire night together, no exceptions?"

"Well originally that was the plan, but I couldn't help but worry about my best friend, seeing as how you did show up without a date and all. By the way what happened to asking Hinata to come with you?"

"It's ok Sakura you don't have to worry about me. I'm old enough to take care of myself, besides I had matters to tend to and I wouldn't have been a very good date." He said as he smiled and began to let go of her. "See you later Sakura-Chan" He turned to her and waved goodnight as he got ready to leave the field. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Just where do you think you're going so soon? Shouldn't you say bye to the rest of the group before you go jumping away like that?"

I think they'll live without one night of goodbyes. Besides I really am kind of tired now mind telling Sasuke we have practice tomorrow?" With that he was off and through the trees before she could make a sound of protest.

She hated when he would leave in such a hurry since she generally liked the feeling of being around him on a daily basis. It was complicated to explain since she had known for ages she was in love with Sasuke, but for some reason Naruto stirred something in her that she didn't understand. It wasn't a form of attraction or anything to that liking but it was definitely something odd.

_Hmm I wish we could have another fun day before the trip with the hokage began. Maybe I could go get ramen with him and e could talk. Maybe I'll figure out what this feeling is I have for him._

As Naruto made his way through the slight opaque of that seemed to have multiple variations throughout the village. Luckily for him the celebration hadn't been too far away from his cozy apartment. He was desperate for a small amount of sleep compared to the last few weeks. His rigorous self training methods had begun to seep into his sleeping time and completely left him drained as he attempted to strive to master even better combat skills as well as ninjutsu.

As he reached his house the only thing on his mind was the upcoming battle he would have tomorrow. He entered his apartment and fell on the first thing that looked soft. Unfortunately he missed the couch and landed on the floor in a thud. The sake was finally starting to take effect on him. He closed his eyes and before he knew it he was off dreaming of better ways to train.

When morning finally came Naruto was waiting eagerly at training ground 7 for the chance to hone a few of his skills for the battle tonight. When Sasuke finally showed up with Sakura latched to his torso Naruto couldn't help but smile that she had finally achieved her dream of getting Sasuke as her boyfriend.

"Yo Dobe, why are we here? Couldn't you have just practiced alone like normal? I planned on having an off day today."

"You know you didn't have to come."

"How could I not when Sakura kept bugging about spending quality time together since she's leaving shortly."

'Whatever, stop complaining you could probably use the training since you only got back a few months ago and just released like five days ago." Naruto teased

"Whatever if you had been in my situation you would have done the same."

"Of course I would have! Haven't I always? Then again I do heal abnormally fast and you; well you just have those eyes of yours. Rushing head first into an enemy base was reckless even for me."

As Sasuke remembered the B rank mission assigned to him he tensed slightly at the thought of what could have happened if he hadn't taken part in an extended training trip with Kakashi before he left. What was supposed to be a simple surveillance mission and possibly a covert rescue of a potential sharingan user it was all a failure once he lost is cool at the horrors he witnessed going on within the base. Sasuke was cold, no doubt about that, but even he had limits and morals.

*Humph* he scoffed as Sakura trailed the snake like scar on his back from the mission. Luckily for them he sent a messenger bird to the hokage just before leaving to enter the base. When they got there the entire area reeked of blood. Bodies lay all around the giant entrance to the enemy strong hold. A sickening sight that made most of the Anbu members feel squeamish for simply seeing the massacre laid out before them.

It wasn't supposed to be that way and if not for the intensive care Sasuke took to protecting himself and others or the sharingan's ability to adapt his skills to his situation, there may not have been much to recover. However through some sheer stroke of luck he lived just long enough to watch as the rogue ninja's head was removed from his body.

"Fine, since it seems like I won't have much of a choice anyway. So tell me Naruto, what ne skills have you learned lately."

To the normal ear's or possibly any other ears than those that actually knew the duo, this wasn't simply a question. It was a challenge and one that would beckon at its target for an answer. An answer that would most assuredly determine the pace of the, so called training, that was about to take place.

As Sasuke lowered his head Sakura released him from her grip ad Leapt to the side to watch the two rivals attempt again to prove which one was stringer. Sasuke activated his sharingan and readied into a battle stance. Naruto simply watched gathering all of the chakra he could muster into his legs. If Sasuke charged there would need to be a plan of escape and most definitely retaliation or the spar would end before it ever began.

Fortunately for Naruto his training with the nine tails would was about to start paying off. Sasuke flickered for a second and Naruto immediately dashed towards him. Reaching for his kunai as he expelled every ounce of the chakras stored in his legs, increasingly moving faster with each step. From Sakura's stand point all he resembled was a bright orange blur. No matter how strong he got she did always detest that atrocious color he seemed so fond of, she would have to remember to force him shopping later.

As Naruto neared Sasuke the sharingan user vanished from sight without so much of a sound.

_Damn it I looked into his eyes and was hit by a genjutsu. Now what am I supposed to do?_

Just as he thought that a kunai grazed his cheek before splintering the tree 10 feet ahead of him.

_Why do I feel so light headed? Damn it must have had some type of poison on the blade, how dumb of me to actually be hit by something like that._

Sasuke appeared directly in front of Naruto with his sharingan in full effect. The three tomoe in his eyes seemed to speak of only defeat as they began to whirl violently. Naruto stumbled backwards and fought to stay standing before his regenerative abilities nullified the poison seconds later. It seemed foolish to pretend but hey, deception is a shin obi's greatest asset.

He began to stumble more and even started shaking as Sasuke grew nearer and nearer. Since he didn't exactly know what poison it was he was having a more difficult time trying to mimic the small traits from before while at the same time make it look convincing. For the time being it was going really well until the sharingan stopped moving. Sasuke pulled one hand to his mouth and blew, spewing a large stream of fire directly in Naruto's direction; the fireball technique was truly amazing when viewed from such a distance. It seemed as the Uchiha had broken down the elements of his plan before he could act on them.

Naruto immediately create five clones to take the blunt of the attack and threw a wind coated kunai directly through the flames. He flipped back and watched as the wind seemed to tear the flames in its direction as it pulled closer to the unsuspecting shin obi. The tip of the kunai pierced straight through the stream and surface right above Sasuke's fingers before he finally canceled the technique. He instantly pulled his free hand up and caught the small weapon.

On his decent to earth he noticed several shuriken hurtling in his direction. With no way to dodge them he tossed the spare kunai he had caught directly into the crowd. As they collided they exploded and sent him crashing to the ground at incredible speeds.

_Since when was he this tactical in battle? If I keep up like this it would simply mean a waste of everything I have worked for. I need to take him more serious and stop playing with the sharingan_

Sasuke rose from the crater his body had created due to the impact of the fall. He smiled slightly and spoke. "Seems like I don't have to hold back on you; Naruto."

With that he began charging electricity around his body for his most well rounded technique. He crackling grew louder s he pushed more chakra into it hoping to make and indestructible shield. He dashed towards Naruto and unsheathed his katana resting on his back and prepared to cut his teammate in half. He slashed down and sliced open the front of Naruto's jacket and shirt just as he was pushing back to avoid the attack leaving a thin line of bruised flesh in his stead. Naruto smirked and immediately lifted his foot and kicked him backwards.

He jumped back and readied a rasengan preparing for the worst. Sasuke was confused as he was sure his lightning shield would have protected but decided it must have been a fluke and readied to try the attack again. Lowering his sword he swung for Naruto's torso and collided with a well placed rasengan just above the hilt on the blade. The chakras crashed and imploded and finally exploded sending the opponents in the opposing directions at incredible speeds.

Sakura winced slightly and wondered if she should end he match here seeing as it could only go from bad to worse. As they soared through the air Naruto struck a huge boulder with an appalling crunch. As Sasuke plowed through several tree's before rolling across the thicket's floor and smacking into a giant log with considerable force. At this point it was a wonder on how exactly both bys could take such beatings and still function. The first to rise was Naruto holding his abdomen and muttered something before Sasuke was staggering to his feet as well.

They eyed each other as Naruto disappeared into the thicket and charged towards Sasuke from the side. His fist was charged with chakra and erupted as it collided with Sasuke's face pushing his damaged body through more trees. Naruto rolled to his feet and prepared his new jutsu hoping it would end the battle rather quickly.

He made a number of hand seals and shouted "Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!" A concussive blast of air shot through the forest and headed straight for the Uchiha who lay sprawled on the floor of the battlefield.

_It won't end like this. _Thought the injured Uchiha as he witnessed multiple tree's get blown away by the sheer force of the jutsu heading his direction. _Humph I still have strength to fight _"Earth Release: Earth Dome!"

The bullet of air crashed and demolished the dome of sold dirt as the two jutsu canceled one another out. As the debris and dust began to clear a heavily panting Uchiha arose from the destruction. "Learned a few new techniques have we?" he rasped as his throat fought to stay moist.

Exhaustion had begun to set in and it was evident on both of their faces. "Heh I hadn't thought you would have actually countered that." He teased jokingly before leaning over and cringing at the pain of broken ribs. It hurt to laugh so keeping the talking to a minimum might have been for the best.

Naruto ran over a couple of scenarios in his head on what to do just ad Jiraiya had been instructing him to do in the first place. It seemed he would finally understand the importance of thinking before acting as he watched Sasuke reactivate his sharingan. If this kept up he may just have to accept a loss, but who likes losing to a cocky know it all? In any case he was damn sure he wasn't going to lose to one. All that was left was to tire him out a little more and maybe he could end it all with _that_ jutsu.

_If I'm right he can't have too much more chakra or stamina than I do at this point. I shouldn't have put so much into that rasengan._ Thought the exasperated blonde, _it's only a matter of time_.

_Damn it, I doubt I have enough chakra to keep this battle going for much longer. I have to end this. I must have used more in my chidori current._ Sasuke mentally cursed himself for not properly planning out a strategy to beat the blonde much sooner.

"Hey Naruto, how about we decide the strongest with one final attack. If I am correct you barely have enough chakra to prolong this fighting any longer. If that's the case, one final jutsu should end this quickly and decide a victor. So what do you say?"

"Ha don't act so high and mighty just yet. Don't think just because of the way you are you'll be able to trick me like that. I still have tricks left up my sleeve."

_Damn if what he says is true then I don't have much of a choice here. Fine I'll just make my last attack use every bit of chakra I can get and end it. When that happens he'll be forced to burn through all of his chakra simply to block it or counter. Either way this fight is over!_

With that thought Sasuke charged his chakra into a final technique that would end the battle and possibly Naruto's life if the latter wasn't careful. It would be a risk to take and right now he was going to need everything he could to win the fight. The air shifted and furious winds began to encircle Sasuke as the amount of chakra he built up began to increase at an alarming rate. Naruto took heed of what was happening before him as rabble and rock was being tossed in every direction. Even his coat began to whip vigorously against the winds that the power was causing.

Seeing this Naruto understood what was going on and figured he had to commend Sasuke on his brilliance after he beat him to a bloody pulp in the next few minutes. As Sasuke appeared to have finished gather the chakra he needed he blew through a series of quick and successive hand seals too fast for Naruto to even count. As he dashed to the open field he was quickly followed by a fearful Naruto who was hoping on stopping the release of such a powerful jutsu.

His plan was nearly a success as he caught Sasuke with a strong jab on to be kicked back with significant force. Several more leaps and Sasuke was a safe distance away as he finished his hand seal for the technique. Naruto leapt back on pure instinct and fear of what large amounts of chakra could produce with just a little effort and determination. As he prepared himself with a rasengan containing all of his chakra he was shocked to see the answer t his question.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire!" he screamed as loud as he could as a giant by all definitions of the word, erupted from his mouth.

The jutsu molded into the shape of a dragon and blasted at Naruto charring the land below and turning everything in its path to ash as it moved. As Naruto witnessed the massive power displayed before him he leapt into a tree and then sky rocketed into the air as a means of protection. Sasuke turned the jutsu sky bound and aimed directly for Naruto. As he peered at the massive creation he forced the wind chakra stored in his body into his rasengan.

"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!" as the orb in his hand compressed and gained incalculable power he hurled it towards the massive fire jutsu in an attempt to shield himself from the destruction he was bound to face.

As it the two jutsu clashed a massive explosion occurred, rumbling the very foundation of Konoha as it rang aloud. The jutsu swallowed one another entirely seeming to implode and began to violently explode in tendrils of fire.

For those who do not understand, wind is weak to fire and in the end if it is used against fire or with it would result in simply fanning the element into an even larger devastation.

As the almost microscopic blades fused with the fire they lashed out in a massive sphere of aw power, pulling Naruto into its fury as well as Sasuke. The area was devastated as well as the air around them as the explosions and tendrils began to wreak havoc across their bodies. Burns and lacerations covered each individual's body in a dance of pain and beauty; Never before had such power been displayed within the walls of such a peaceful village.

As Sakura was blown back be the power of the combination that should have never been, she struggled to catch herself from falling to the floor below. The explosion as well as the jutsu she had witnessed left her awe struck. She was terrified and for just cause. Her best friend and the love o her life had seemed to disappear in the blue and orange orb before her. She could only watch as the techniques finally fizzled out and ceased. Before the smoke had cleared a figure was rocketed upwards like a missile.

His frail charred body being merely a shell of its once great glamour. His formerly beautifully golden blonde hair was washed black by the destruction caused from only half of his power. Barely conscience he remembered how peaceful the day had began and how this seemed an ironic way to die. He would forever cherish the remnants of his memories as he slowly reached the peak of his ascension.

-------At the Memorial Stone-------

A huge orb of raw destructive power seemed to appear from nowhere and dissipate shortly after. Even from this distance away he could feel the wave of heat wash over him as beads of sweat began to form under his mask.

Such power… where could it have come from? Is the village under attack? No time to sit and think I must hurry immediately and find out what's wrong.

With that the ma was gone I an instant dashing at his top speed towards the surge of intense power. He hadn't been afraid many times in his life and right now he was beginning to feel and surmountable amount of fear. Such power could only mean that someone or something had created it. As his destination grew closer with each step he began to wonder if he really wanted to see what had created the enormous surge of supremacy.

-------Back at the training Field-------

A dazed Sakura could only manage to barely pull herself up as she struggled to breathe through the deathly hot air circulating around her. It suffocated her almost immediately if it had not been for her coating her lungs with a layer of chakra, willing them to keep functioning so she could form some type of protection for her body. As she finally managed to get her body under control the scene before her scared her. The barren remains of what used to be a plush forest f some kind with rivers and hills had all been eradicated.

In one motion it had all been pushed aside and buried under the ash of what remained. Dark clouds hung above threatening to release acidic rain and boil the landscape and everything in it beyond repair. The small ember that lay scattered everywhere had all but consumed the beauty of what had once taken residence here. The thought of anything of color seems washed from the world as if all the darkness belonged here and had been here since the dawn of time. Just then she noticed a small figure plummeting to earth at a steady pace. It seemed so far off. She could only hope that it was Naruto and that e was alive.

She was pleading with everything she had that he would be safe from harm and still be breathing. She pushed chakra through her legs and darted towards the falling figure with the hope that she would make in time before he crashed into the unforgiving environment below. As she thought of what she could possibly do to revive his wrecked body she could only muster energy to cry.

_Please be him, please be him! He has to be alive he just has to be! _Even though she may not have been in love with him as she was with Sasuke, he was still important to hear none the less. He was a big part of her heart and she desperately needed him to be ok. He was hard headed and stupid but he was also compassionate and caring. These were the last thoughts that crossed her mind as she leapt through the sir to catch the busted body before it collided with the ground. She saved him by a fraction of a second and slid across the ground and through all the decay by fire as she wiped the soot from his face.

_Sasuke? I thought he got away before the explosion grew? If this is Sasuke where is Naruto? I could have sworn he was the only one who went up? Oh no! Naruto is still falling!_

She looked up just in time to see the burnt golden hair and lifeless body fall towards the earth with increasing speed. It was hurtful to know she wouldn't make it in time to save her beloved friend. He was at least 100 meters away and even if she tried expelling all her chakra, it would only fail short by about 20 meters. She placed Sasuke down and decided the impossible would have to be done if she ever wanted to live with herself. Her friend for a life time was going to die and she hadn't even gotten to clear up her feelings for him yet.

_I'll save you Naruto no matter. I, I have to. I can't just let you die you are too important to me_. "Naruto WAIT FOR ME!"

With that she forced a great deal of chakra in her legs and sprang forward hoping to save her friend. She flew through the air and neared is falling body on level terms. She was merely inches away from what would be the miracle she had hoped for. Until her decline had begun to commence. She felt hopeless as she watched herself falling short of her friends once again. It had been that way since she joined team 7. She would always search for new heights and climb higher only to fall short of her teammates. Even now when they needed the protection the most shell fell short of saving them both.

It was ironic in a way, the greatest threat ever posed to them was their selves and the only person to save them was the kunoichi who was closest to them in every aspect. Even considering all of this she was powerless to stop his end. She couldn't stop Sasuke from leaving when he did and now she couldn't even save Naruto from his own demise. She was beginning to feel the weight she had placed on everyone, why now of all moments did she pity herself? She couldn't let him die, she just couldn't.

Just at that moment a silver haired ninja came leaping through the air and caught the golden haired boy. _It was a miracle_ she thought to herself before she crashed into the ground and slid to his feet. She looked up as he began to place Naruto against the tough terrain and stared down at the pink, or at least what he could assume used to be pink, haired kunoichi.

"Need some help?"

She smiled as she slowly faded into unconsciousness. It was peaceful, before she completely lost sight of the world around her she saw two or three more bodies appear. They had been rescued, the last of her chakra shield gave out and she laid there helpless at the feet of her savior.

* * *

Ok I really like this chapter and i thought it went over pretty well. Once again i'm asking for just a little review and maybe a beta reader or two. I see how writing this is going to be challengin and it would be nice to have someone to bounce ide's off of or just point out my head mistakes. Anyway hope you liked it i tried hard on this

ADMIN01/900999.01725/10577982.1


	3. Of Wits and Stupidity

Just at that moment a silver haired ninja came leaping through the air and caught the golden haired boy. _It was a miracle_ she thought to herself before she crashed into the ground and slid to his feet. She looked up as he began to place Naruto against the tough terrain and stared down at the pink, or at least what he could assume used to be pink, haired kunoichi.

"Need some help?"

She smiled as she slowly faded into unconsciousness. It was peaceful; before she completely lost sight of the world around her she saw two or three more bodies appear. They had been rescued, the last of her chakra shield gave out and she laid there helpless at the feet of her savior.

Morning had finally come and the day had begun on a typical note. The birds were chirping fiercely amongst one another and circling the sky above. The sun was shining and the sky held a serene sense of calmness to it. The morning was rather quiet to be honest and although she would never admit it to anyone, she missed the loud mouth, rambunctious blond who seemed to make any day a good day.

She felt horridly responsible for the events of the so called "spar" that took place not too long ago. Was she really that helpless that she couldn't have intervened? Whatever it may have been she couldn't let herself be distracted. She was on her way to visit the two boys who seemed to have beaten themselves into the hospital; again. She needed to see them for her sake as well as theirs. From what she heard from Tsunade, the two boys should be fine. If it wasn't for the intense durability of them both she felt that she may not have been able to save either of them.

Naruto's uncanny healing factor served as a vital tool to his recovering process. It seemed that at the instant the injuries began the fox's chakra had immediately begun the healing process. As she recalled more of the things the fifth hokage had mentioned about the recovery process she saw the hospital in the distance. It was a fairly large building considering the state of everything that it had endured. The building had been destroyed multiple times and rebuilt just as many. She felt relief wash over her body as she saw the godaime waiting outside of the pale white construct. It looked majestic in a sense, when the sun beamed on it from this angle. The blinding white paint and the multiple large windows seemed to give it a mirror like quality amidst the morning sky. The clouds were stunning when they seemed to pass by so closely.

"Well Sakura are you ready? You seem a bit distracted."

"I'm fine lady Tsunade honestly. It's just scary thinking of what could have happened if Kakashi-sensei hadn't shown up when he did. By the way where is Kakashi?" she said inquisitively

"He showed up ten minutes before you did. He's upstairs already talking to Sasuke and Naruto. He seemed interested in the jutsu that they were using. Besides no one's heard the full story yet and we're all dying to know what happened out there."

Sakura looked at Tsunade with a pained expression and proceeded through the door quietly. As she glanced back she could see the understanding in her eyes. She walked through the halls with the comforting feeling that none would pressure her into telling the story. She felt a gentle hand drop on her shoulder. She could only assume that it had been for reassurance as the two searched the hospital for the new patients.

As they rounded a corner they heard a familiar voice.

"What the hell do you mean I can't get in? Lady, Do you know who I am?"

"Sir please calm down." There seemed to be an underlying edge in her voice as she stumbled over her words. "I-I I really don't-t-think that y-you're sup-p-posed to be in her right now."

"My friends are in there now let me through!" his voice echoed down the long corridor.

"Calm down Kiba you won't solve anything by threatening a nurse. It would prove more efficient if you targeted someone with more authority. Like a doctor… or him."

"Hey that's not a bad idea Shino. I should have asked you sooner. Hey doc! Get over here and open this door right now!"

The two kunoichi stood there in awe as they witnessed the massive dog scowl at the frail nurse clinging to the door for dear life. The look on her face seemed to hold all the built up fear in her body. It was amazing she made her voice sound so calm. As they looked around the hall for the remaining group they noticed Shino and Kiba scaring a doctor into submission for his keys to the room that contained their friends. He was being hoisted off the ground by what appeared to be a cloud of poison. While the two of them frantically searched the man's coat for some type of device that would permit them the entrance they sought.

At that moment Sakura's forehead seemed to develop an abnormally large amount of veins as the blood rushed to her head in record speed. She was beginning to turn a bright fiery crimson color from the embarrassment of the two uncivilized apes in front of her. Before she could even take a step forward the two boys were sent crashing through a set of empty rooms.

She looked at the fog of debris that was left where they had been standing to see a very pissed of Tsunade. She was still clenching her fist and growling something about idiots under her breath. The first to surface from the ocean of glass, metal, rubble, and plastic was Shino who starred in shock through the broken shades that dangled from his face. He looked at the two standing where he had been and smiled slightly pushing the shattered remnants of shades back on the bridge of his nose.

"It seems I have upheld myself in an unmannerly fashion." He said coolly before losing consciousness and falling limply to one side.

As Kiba crawled through to the top of the massive junk pile on top of him he shrieked out.

"What the hell was that for?" When his vision finally focused he eyed the two skeptically then shuddered at the thought. He stood up and spoke slowly.

"Well if it had been a few seconds later I would have had the key. Then you hags show up and ruin every-t…" that was all he could get out before he was sent crashing to the floor.

Before Sakura could stand up fully a click echoed through the now silent space that the group was standing in.

"Geeze you guys sure are noisy" called a tall slender boy as he crept from his room. He looked as if he had been sleeping and stumbled lightly through the small destruction down the hall and towards the bathroom.

Tsunade dropped her head and laughed lightly. "Well at least he's up and about. I'm not sure what I would have done if he had been hospitalized any longer."

Sakura removed her fist from the top of the dog ninja's head as his friend Akamaru strolled lazily by. Licking his face and jolting him awake simultaneously. The dog proceeded to do the same for the bug user as the two kunoichi passed the door into the room to check on the solemn Uchiha. He was lying in his bed as he had been doing since he was brought to the hospital. The only noticeable difference was that for once he was actually conscious.

Tsunade immediately hurried to his bed side to check his vitals and make sure he was perfectly fine before allowing him to sit up. The recovery process had been slightly more complex for him than it had been for Naruto. Sasuke still held many burn marks and multiple gashes all over his body. His head was bandaged due to the violent tendrils that lashed at him mercilessly. Moreover he had been in better condition than they had imagined, far better than Naruto was and yet he still wasn't nearly as healed as the blonde was.

Sakura eyed his bandaged body for a minute before speaking. She noticed his bandages on his torso had red tinges and was sure that after Tsunade left she would tend to his broken body. She traced her hand across his chest and felt the deep scratches that now outlined his upper body. If she hadn't traced them all she would have assumed that they were beautiful designs marked across his smooth chest. Like carvings on cavern walls.

"So how are you holding up?" she asked hesitantly Not sure if what she said might offend him in his current condition.

He looked up and smiled through a pained face and spoke in a low tone that sounded like a hushed rumble, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

"I'm fine Sakura-Chan maybe not as well as Naruto but I'll be fine."

She smiled back and handed him the flowers she was clutching at her feet. She could feel the emotions of pity and regret coming back as she watched him struggle to move his bandaged body to grasp the flowers. It was a horrible feeling to watch the one you love struggle and to know you couldn't possibly help them in any way. She turned around and reached for the pillows that were placed at his feet and put one under his back for support. He seemed to be needing a bit of extra help now that he was going to be conscious.

Naruto had finally come back to the room when he paused in the door way. A shocked expression claimed his face as he watched the insect and canine ninja scramble to their feet from all of the debris around them.

"Just what the hell did you guys do? This entire area looks like a war zone. Tsunade is going to kill you for wrecking her hospital."

"Idiot did you notice anything when you came out of that room? I swear a murder could have happened here and you wouldn't notice a thing. You're hopeless Naruto. Anyway let's go see how Sasuke's doing."

"Yes Naruto you appear to be in good health. I hope your say in the hospital was a respectable one. When you are fully recovered maybe we could practice together. Yes? Although I would hope it would not lead to something quite this severe."

In the end the two comments only made Naruto feel even more pathetic. He couldn't believe he was actually in the hospital over what was supposed to be a practice match. He would probably never hear the end of it from Sasuke. The constant reminder of how he went overboard. Then again wasn't this all Sasuke's fault? Hadn't he been the one who used the technique that put them here? I mean of course he had pushed harder than normal but that's to be expected from rivals, but Sasuke may have went a bit too far with the fire technique.

Now he couldn't help but laugh at how the plan to prove his strength back fired. Naruto was more or less ok. If not for the constant itch that seemed to cover every inch of his once burned body. He could only imagine that it would be due to all the new skin the demons chakra had to replace his old charred version. He ushered the boys through the door quickly to avoid standing on his sore feet any longer before turning and jumping into his bed.

The room was abnormally large for the average hospital patient. It was at least twice the size of any normal room and could house at least six or seven patients if the need ever occurred. There was a small table in the middle of the room that had three or four chairs around it. Kakashi and Tsunade were sitting playing a quiet game of shogi as they discussed what was to be done about the destroyed training field. Kiba and Shino were taking a seat in between Sasuke and Naruto so they could great them both at the same time. The large window at the back of the room gave a very nice view of the village below. Just as Naruto was getting comfortable the door flew open again and in jumped two small blurs of green. They halted just in front of the table and paused looking at the boys in the beds inquisitively.

"Well Naruto you seem to be doing alright. Your flames of youth must have been ignited yesterday along with the training ground you were using."

"Ahoy Naruto!" came lee's booming voice from beside guy. The two were almost exact clones the hair, the eyebrows, and even those serious yet goofy eyes were exactly the same. It had been amazingly uncanny at how much they resembled each other and for Naruto he had a bit of difficulty figuring out which one was which.

"Hey Gai-sensei hey lee; Sorry about the training field Baa-Chan I kind of forgot about that."

She broke off her conversation with Kakashi and interjected quickly.

"Oh don't worry about it brat. Whenever you start feeling better we already have a way you can pay for the damages done to the training field. You too Sasuke, I'm just not sure if I should punish the two you equally or one more severely considering the situation but that will all come later. Right now we're just glad the both of you are ok."

He smiled and then stared at her confused. Repeating what she had just said to him as if it were a riddle. "Hey wait a minute why do I have to pay for the damages it was Sasuke's fault in the first place for shooting the giant fire ball thing."

"Can it twerp! You should have known better than to throw a bunch of wind at it. Besides what were the two of you thinking? You could have killed each other. More importantly you idiots could have killed me. You're lucky I'm being so nice to you two."

Everyone laughed at the sudden outburst of the fuming Sakura. The mood was mellow and everyone seemed to just be happy that things hadn't headed in a bad direction. All things considered this is one of the more appreciated out comes. As the day wore on people began to leave bit by bit. First Gai and Lee left followed out by Kiba and Shino. Kakashi followed suit just as it began to get dark. Sakura stayed most of the evening along with the fifth hokage who was performing regular checkups until ten o'clock came around. As they left out Sasuke felt a wave of relief wash over him. He had been struggling to stay awake since six and kept dozing off on Sakura. She didn't seem to mind it much but it bothered him how she would watch him attentively like a small child. Not to mention she would stroke his hair every now and again.

Naruto remained woke until the two left and finally lay back in his bed to relax. It had been a fun day. Most of his friends stopped by for at least a visit to say hello and see how the two of them were doing. No one was really surprised to see the Naruto had most of his wounds healed with the exception of a few scratches and bruises that remained. More or less Sasuke was the focus of everyone's concern. As he collected his thoughts and stared at the ceiling he remembered that he was supposed to be fighting Anko the other night.

_Oh crap! I how could I forget? Damn it! Now she's probably never going to train me. I wonder if I find her and explain what happened will she forgive me. I hope I get a chance to make this up to her. If she's anything like what Ero-sensei told me she's going to be pissed._

He hoped out of bed and peered out the door to his room. The hallway still looked rather destroyed but a majority of the debris had been cleared and a few holes patched up. As he eyed the dark corridor he saw a nurse transporting a medical cart full of pills to the rooms further away. He closed the door and grabbed his spare clothes laying on the night stand next to his bed. He turned for the large window and slid it open slowly to avoid waking the Uchiha from his peaceful rest.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

Naruto froze. He was sure that he hadn't made a single sound during his crawl around the room. He turned towards the beds and saw two bright red eyes eyeing him as he attempted to slide into the shadows o the corner.

"I'm not stupid Naruto, I can see you."

"Fine you busted me. I'm leaving be back later." He called from the window pane

"What for? Are you that eager to be out of the hospital?" he questioned sarcastically

"No it's nothing like. I was supposed to meet Anko just outside the city that night we were put in the hospital. By the way though this is your fault." He snickered lightly to himself. The sound seemed to annoy Sasuke that much more since the Uchiha knew that he may very well be right.

"Shut up. If you hadn't tried to negate it with wind the jutsu would have simply vanished into the atmosphere." He shot back

"Why would I do that? I'm not that dumb the heat would have triggered a large amount of clouds to gather and possibly thunder which would give you the advantage with your element. I may have over done it with the wind but I was already charging the elemental chakra and I needed a quick defense."

Sasuke scoffed lightly at what he heard. It was slightly unusual considering he was the dead last. Not only that but he seemed to always have this cluelessness about him. It seemed that ever since the training trip he took with Jiraiya he's been better. Smarter, faster, stronger, cunning, he just seemed to be a more improved shinobi and it was beginning to show in the way he lived life. Well at least it did now, as far as everything else it may just be his imagination running rampant due to the drugs he was on in the hospital.

"Fine then, I'm coming with you." He said coolly as he sat up right

"What! What do you mean you're coming with me? You're still injured, besides I'll be back by morning. You won't miss me will you?" tease Naruto in a child like manner

"Shut up dobe. I'm not coming because I'll miss you; in fact I could care less if you came back at all. I just want to see if all the healing Lady Tsunade and Sakura did made it easier to move around." Barked Sasuke as he sat up and began to stretch his aching body

He slowly crawled out of bed and staggered to his feet. From Naruto's position, at a glance; he seemed to be just fine. He was standing straight, his eyes didn't drop the cold, lifeless red glare they had and he looked as if he had completely finished healing.

"Wow they must have done quite a bit of work on you. Aside from the bandages you look like you're perfectly fine." He said grinning his usual fox like grin

Sasuke had just remained standing there and didn't respond for a minute. Naruto eyed him carefully; something seemed off now that he was actually paying attention he noticed something. Sasuke was shaking not enough to cause concern but he was definitely shaking. He also seemed to be getting paler, if he had stepped into the moons light he would look like a ghost.

"Hey Sasuke you ok? You don't look so well. Sasuke?"

As he finished his sentence Sasuke slowly tipped forward and his legs gave out from under him. Naruto moved at an incredible speed to keep him from hitting the floor too hard. He managed to catch him just before he made contact with the smooth cerulean tile that covered the floor. Naruto hoisted him up and dropped him on his bed and did a light inspection of Sasuke to see if he could figure out what was wrong. He noticed the bandages were becoming a vibrant scarlet color. He saw that a few other wounds on his chest had opened lightly too.

He figured that Sasuke must have torn some stitching while he was stretching. He dashed into the hallway and grabbed the nurse as she was turning the corner.

"Hey lady my friend got up and tore a few stitches. He looks like he lost a little blood but he needs to be treated quickly."

The nurse looked at Naruto's bright white robe that was dyed red and gasped. He looked down and saw how much blood was on his hospital garments. He was sort of surprised he didn't see it when he was watching Sasuke. He shrugged it off and headed back to the room to clean up whatever may need it. As he dashed to the room the nurse hurried after him. She treated Sasuke and he finally came to. Naruto guessed he must have fallen unconscious while standing, which would explain why he fell over. When she was done she assured him that he would be fine as long as he rested for the next couple of days while the stitches held him together.

He smiled at the nurse and bound out the window so he could get home and change. He noticed that the bag he grabbed didn't have his usual outfit in it. On the bag there was a note that read Sakura in big bold letters. He unfolded the letter and read what was inside. The note read

_Naruto,_

_I'm sure I've told you how much I hate the horrible orange jump suit you wear. Instead I figured I'd get you something a little more fitting. Hope you aren't mad at me._

_Love Sakura_

He starred at the bag in his hand confused. The wind blew lightly and the bag rustled in his hand. He stopped on the roof across from his apartment. He opened the bag and smiled at the gift Sakura had bought him. He hoped down on the walk way n front of his door and hurried in to view his new outfit. There were a pair of black cargo pants the fit him perfectly and were still slightly baggy. The shirt was black, short sleeved and tight. It hugged his torso gently, outlining his defined muscles. His jacket was fairly simple. Holding closely to his torso and sporting no sleeves it looked more like a zip up vest with a hood. This was a dark gray and had a reasonably sized hood that hid his entire head within it. There were two pockets on the outside and one on the inside.

The jacket was black with white outlines that trace along the trimming and pockets of the jacket. On the back it has the Uzumaki symbol in a vivid red and underling it are nine faded tails that sway around the symbol. As Naruto tried it on and looked at himself in the mirror he began beaming with excitement. He couldn't wait to show it off when everyone else woke up.

He headed towards the kitchen to get a few cups of instant ramen so he would have something to snack on while he was in the hospital. As he passed his bedroom he heard the sound of the shower and froze. He peered cautiously into the darkness that clung to the room. He waited patiently as the water was shut off and the door clicked open. He tossed several shuriken at the doorway to the bathroom attempting to pin the culprit who violated his shower to the frame of the door. As the silhouette stepped into the doorway they immediately dropped to their knees and slid in the dark room. The only light was coming from behind Naruto and only touched a small portion of the room. The silhouette dipped quickly around the room and suddenly vanished all together. Naruto stepped back cautiously preparing for the worst. He took several steps back and bumped into something soft.

_Good thing I ran into this soft thing… wait this is my house and I know for a fact that I don't have anything soft in this hallway. So what the hell did I hit?_

He turned around slowly as to avoid causing and disruption. He feared that he would let the intruder know he wasn't paying attention. Just as he began to turn he was immediately sent crashing into his wall and being hoisted up off the ground with a kunai at his throat.

"Who the hell are you and why the hell did you throw shuriken at me?" she hissed through gritted teeth

"What do you mean who am I? This isn't your house so why are you in it threatening me?"

The intruder, still hidden amongst the shadows of the hall way, remained silent and then dropped the blonde to his feet. When he landed he now noticed what the soft thing he ran into was. A pair of firmly fit breasts were barely being covered be a white towel. She was a light tan color with a curved figure and somehow she seemed highly attractive and completely scary. The woman was 5'6" with smooth flawless skin. Her voice was soft yet carried a menacing feeling towards it. He felt calmed yet completely terrified. He thought on how such a beautiful woman could become such a paradox. She smiled and began explaining why she was in his house.

"Well it's about time you came home. You missed our date." She said in a playful voice teasing him lightly.

"What date?" shouted Naruto frantically. He seemed to be missing the concept all together her and it only furthered her annoyance.

"You really are just a dumb kid aren't you? The third used to speak of you so highly. I figured you might have actually been something special."

"What?!" he shrieked causing her to wince at the sound.

"I can't believe you asked me to train you and you bailed on me. I mean what the hell. If it wasn't for the giant explosion I would have immediately came to kill you. By the way just what the hell happened out there anyway?"

She was eyeing him closely and leaned in close to stare into his eyes. It made Naruto feel squeamish for many reasons. First this was about as close as he had ever been to any girl before especially one who was barely dressed. He could feel the heat radiating off of her body as she took a step closer still eyeing him in a curious manner. Finally she took a step back and Naruto began feeling normal again. He dropped his guard and caught a full kick to his abdomen sending him flying into the darkened room.

"Pathetic, is this all you have? You wanted me to be your instructor and you can't even dodge a simple kick? You are just pathetic."

As Naruto picked himself up he stumbled into the hallway looking for revenge. He studied the hall carefully and finally leapt to the wall and crawled into the kitchen. When he rounded the corner he watched Anko as she put on the last of her clothing, her jacket and forehead protector, and then jumped down. He watched her movements carefully and sat at the table and waited. She noticed him studying her intently and sat across from him.

"So kid I need a favor." She demanded more than asked.

"Uh ok sure what is it?" he said confused by the tone of the question.

"I need a place to crash for a few nights? Mind if I stay here for a while? I can pay if you need it but it won't be much."

"Well I guess I don't mind if you stay here since I'm going back to the hospital tonight. How long will you be here?"

"Till I don't have to be anymore."

"Fine you can sleep here under one condition."

"…" She just looked at him blankly before sighing. She had known where this would go and decided it wouldn't be that bad teaching a brat like him. She thought it over a few times and spoke. "Yeah ok fine I'll take you on as a pupil of mine, but you have to promise me something as well.

"Sure what's that he said?" he shouted enthusiastically.

"If I train you I can stay here as long as I need. Deal?"

"Deal"

"Fine I'll train you. We'll start as soon as you are released from the hospital. I'll stop by tomorrow and check in to see you so you better be there and not blow me off again."

"Heh of course not." He said in a high pitch tone while waving his hands in front of him defensively

She seemed to be getting tired. She was yawning and heading towards the couch as she rose from the table. Naruto stood up and waved bye to her as she fell to the couch in comfort. The large sofa sighed as she nestled into a comfortable position. Naruto opened the door and left the house just as quiet as it was when he arrived. He smiled at his new clothes and leapt onto the roof across from his house.

_I really should thank Sakura for the new clothes. They're comfortable and easy to move around in. They even have room to breathe; she sure can pick out clothes. I'll be sure to thank her in the morning for all the good things she has done for me._

As he approached the hospital he dove into the room and slid across the floor testing the durability of the new clothes. They seemed to hold up fine to the stress of a hyper Naruto. He smiled and hoped into bed and was off to sleep when his head connected with the pillow.


End file.
